This new cultivar of Acer freemanii×rubrum, the ‘Shelina's Beauty’ maple, was originally discovered by James David Cavett on one specific tree limb of an Acer freemanii×rubrum tree planted in the yard of James Cavett at 74 S & W Lane, Estill Springs, Tenn. 37330, in 2004. James D. Cavett took a single cutting of the branch from the tree and rooted in sand using Hormondin #3 (active ingredient is indole-3-butyric acid) at 74 S&W Lane, Estill Springs, Tenn. 37330 in July 2004. In July 2005, 5 rooted cuttings were taken and rooted in sand at S&W Lane. Three of the 5 rooted cuttings survived. Sixty-seven rooted cuttings were started from the 3 surviving rooted cuttings in July 2006; these rooted cuttings were grown at 74 S&W Lane, Estill Springs, Tenn. 37330. Approximately 50 of the rooted cuttings begun in July 2006 survived and were used to begin 300 new rooted cuttings in the July 2007. In July 2008, approximately 1300 rooted cuttings were taken and rooted in sand; approximately 1000 rooted and survived. Over the last four years all the rooted cuttings of ‘Shelina's Beauty’ have exhibited the same growing characteristics and patterns as the parent plant Acer freemanii×rubrum except for the pigmentation of the leaves. The leaves of the rooted seedlings' pigmentation are red when the leaf breaks out of the bud. Within 3 weeks of budding, the leaves quickly turn a red-orange or crimson color. As the leaf enlarges, portions of it become yellow until the entire leaf becomes predominately cream in color. Older growth leaves have speckles of cream on a green background. James D. Cavett has been evaluating these propagated seedlings for 4 years.
James D. Cavett is solely responsible for finding this new cultivar on his property, located at 74 S&W Lane, Estill Springs, Tenn. 37330. All propagation of this cultivar has been done by James D. Cavett at his nursery located at 74 S&W Lane, Estill Springs, Tenn. 37330.
James D. Cavett immediately recognized that the new cultivar, ‘Shelina's Beauty’ exhibited new and distinctive leaf pigmentation. The leaves are red when they first erupt from the bud; however, within 3 weeks the leaf exhibits red-orange pigmentation. As the leaf enlarges and matures, the leaf pigmentation becomes yellow and the mature leaf is cream in color. All other growth characteristics of the cultivar are similar to the parent plant, Acer freemanii×rubrum. Only the seedlings that have originated from rooted cuttings of the original rooted stem that James D. Cavett rooted exhibit the leaf pigmentation that is attributed to the new cultivar, ‘Shelina's Beauty.’ Over the last 4 years, only the rooted cuttings have exhibited this pigmentation as compared to other Acer freemanii×rubrum trees.
FIG. 1 is a photograph of a year old ‘Shelina's Beauty’ seedling taken in July of 2007, which shows the distinctive and unique pigmentation of the leaves. The leaves that are coming out of the apical bud are red in color. The young leaves immediately below the apical leaves display a red-orange color. Leaves further down the stem, have a variegated yellow-green to green-yellow color. More mature leaves are also variegated and exhibit green and cream colors. Because the cultivar and the parent plant that it came from is deciduous, the leaves turn color (from rust-orange to a variegated burgundy mixture consisting of reds and pinks and light yellow) and drop off each fall in Zone 6b, which includes Middle Tennessee. As seen in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, the seedling has an alternate arrangement. The leaves are 8 cm to 15 cm in length and 5 cm to 18 cm in length. Thus, they are generally slightly wider than they are long. The leaves consist of 3 to 5 shallow lobes with shallow tooth margins. The petioles are red when the leaf first opens but turns green within several weeks. The diameter of petioles are ˜0.3 to 0.4 cm and vary in length from 2 cm to 3.5 cm.
FIG. 2 is a photograph of a four year old ‘Shelina's Beauty’ tree taken in June of 2008 which also shows the distinctive and unique pigmentation of the leaves. As the tree matures, not all leaves will exhibit the same degree of variegation. Some leaves have more variegation than others. For example some will have more yellow than others. As also seen in FIG. 2, the ‘Shelina's Beauty’ cultivar is dense and full of foliage.
The ‘Shelina's Beauty’ cultivar has proven to be both drought resistant and very winter hardy. In April 2007, Middle Tennessee (climate Zone 6b, USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map) experienced an unusually late freeze during which the overnight temperatures dropped into the low 20° F. This was a particularly dangerous and damaging freeze because most of the trees had already budded. The ‘Shelina's Beauty’ cultivar survived this freeze and continued to produce foliage throughout the spring and summer months. All rooted cuttings taken from the plants exhibit the same rapid growth that has been observed for the last 4 growing seasons that the ‘Shelina's Beauty’ cultivar has been cultivated.
The ‘Shelina's Beauty’ cultivar can also endure drastic changes in moisture. ‘Shelina's Beauty’ cultivar has been successfully grown without irrigation after it is moved into the fields during its second season. Each summer since it was rooted in 2004, it has endured the drought that Middle Tennessee has experienced during the months of July and August. Middle Tennessee usually experiences heavy rainfalls during the spring; however, immediately after the late spring 2007 freeze another unusual meteorological event occurred; Middle Tennessee experienced a 2 month drought. While many annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees were severely damaged or killed by the late spring freeze that was followed by a 2-month drought, the ‘Shelina's Beauty’ cultivar survived and demonstrated itself to be cold and drought tolerant.
The ‘Shelina's Beauty’ cultivar has been successfully propagated asexually. The proven means of asexual propagation has been rooted softwood cuttings. During the first year the stem that was discovered by James D. Cavett was rooted in sand at his nursery located at 74 S&W Lane, Estill Springs, Tenn. 37330. Because only one stem on the parent plant exhibited the identifying pigmented foliage, only one cutting was stuck in 2004. In July 2005, 5 rooted cuttings were taken from the one year old original stem and stuck in sand by James D. Cavett at his nursery and 3 survived. In July 2006, 67 rooted cuttings were started from the other ‘Shelina's Beauty’ trees that had been rooted in 2004 and 2005, and 50 survived. In July 2007, 300 out of 400 cuttings taken from the other ‘Shelina's Beauty’ trees were rooted and survived. In July 2008, 1300 rooted cuttings were taken from the other ‘Shelina's Beauty’ trees and stuck in sand, and approximately 1000 survived. The cultivars have retained all the characteristics of the original selected seedling. It has been successfully propagated through 5 generations of asexual reproduction with a survival rate between 60% the second year (2005), 75% the third year (2006), 75% the fourth year (2007), and a 77% survival rate in 2008. Each generation has been stable and produced true-to-type plants each and every time the plant has been propagated.
The unique color of the leaves and rapid growth (3 to 5 feet per year) ‘Shelina's Beauty’ cultivar make it well suited for a variety of landscaping uses. Furthermore, the ‘Shelina's Beauty’ cultivar is cold and drought tolerant. The cultivar is a moderate size tree whose leaf pigmentation transitions from red when the bud opens to orange-red in approximately 3 weeks, followed by a variegated yellow-green and final a variegated cream and green color in the mature leaf. In the fall the leaves turn from a variegated cream on a green background to a burgundy mixture consisting of reds and pinks with a light yellow in the creamy variegated portion of the leaf. The unique color of the leaves of the ‘Shelina's Beauty’ cultivar will make it a popular maple tree for those who desire attractive coloration from early spring through the fall.